


Between Brothers

by Ink_Gypsy



Category: Ash Wednesday
Genre: F/M, elijah wood character fic, fffc, kiss me i'm irish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-27
Updated: 2012-03-27
Packaged: 2017-11-02 14:56:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/370237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ink_Gypsy/pseuds/Ink_Gypsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sean Sullivan comes back to reclaim his life after a three-year absence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Between Brothers

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the film _Ash Wednesday_ , in which Elijah Wood starred as Sean Sullivan and Edward Burns as his brother Francis. I’ve taken the liberty of rewriting the film’s ending as I felt it should have been. For those not familiar with the film, follow this link **[Ash Wednesday](http://www.amazon.com/Ash-Wednesday-Jimmy-Burke/dp/B00007L4KT/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1332355994&sr=1-1)** to the DVD at Amazon.com.
> 
> Originally written for the Frodo Flash Fiction Challenge on Live Journal, for the prompt, "Kiss Me, I'm Irish."

[](http://photobucket.com)

Sean Sullivan hid in the stairwell across the hall from Francis’s apartment. He didn’t like spying on his older brother, but something wasn’t right and he needed to know what it was.

It was only natural that Francis would be pissed he’d come back. Killing two of Whitey’s men on Ash Wednesday three years ago had put a price on Sean’s head that only his death could have lifted, and if Whitey found out Sean had faked his death, his being made a fool of would require his own personal brand of revenge. Francis felt responsible because Sean had killed to protect him, so the last thing he wanted was for his younger brother to return to their Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood where he could be seen and have their hoax uncovered.

Sean understood that Francis was scared for him, but there was more to it. Francis had been worried when Sean had showed up at the apartment, but he hadn’t started to act nervous until Sean had mentioned Grace. Three years was a long time, and Sean couldn’t help his mind from going there. “Did you fuck her?” he’d asked.

“She’s your wife,” Francis had replied. “I don’t think of her that way.”

But Sean hadn’t been convinced, and if what he suspected was true, he had to know. So he waited, and his heart sank when he saw Grace approach Francis’s door.

It took all Sean’s willpower not to run to her, take her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her, but he forced himself to wait. He watched anxiously as Grace knocked on the door, holding his breath until Francis answered. He stepped out to meet her and they hugged. Nothing wrong with that, Sean told himself.

Then Francis kissed her in a way a brother-in-law had no right to kiss her.

Sean’s legs seemed unable to hold him up. He sank to the floor, unable to watch anymore. It didn’t matter that his death had been staged. As far as Grace was concerned, he _was_ dead, and she had already moved on...with his brother.

Coming back had been a mistake. There was nothing here for him now. He’d come home to reclaim his wife and his life, but neither belonged to him anymore.


End file.
